Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer agrees three-year contract extension with new owners

Bowyer’s previous deal, agreed with former owner Roland Duchatelet, was due to run out this summer

Lee Bowyer signs his contract extension with Charlton Athletic (Charlton)

Lee Bowyer has signed a three-year contract extension with Charlton Athletic after agreeing terms with the club’s new owners.

Bowyer’s previous deal, agreed with former owner Roland Duchatelet, was due to run out at the end of the season, but incoming chairman Matt Southall made clear that he planned to secure the manager’s long-term future.

Southall had originally suggested beginning talks after the January window in order to concentrate on improving the playing squad, but Bowyer is understood to have pushed for a swift resolution to existing terms he had long deemed unacceptable.

“I’m delighted,” said Bowyer. “It’s something I’ve been looking forward to having done. It’s been a long while coming and the most important thing now is that myself and the club can start building and moving forward. It’s a good club, family club, it’s got great tradition, great fans, I’ve got great staff around me, and I’ve got players that give me everything. The chairman has come in, there’s going to be some funds.”

Southall, who fronts the new Abu-Dhabi based owners East Street Investments, has been helping in the search for new signings to bolster an injury-ravaged squad as Charlton look to reinvigorate their season in the Championship. The club have so far brought in only Aston Villa youngster Andre Green on loan.

“It’s brilliant news for the whole club,” Southall said of Bowyer’s new deal. “When I came in I stated that was one of my first priorities, because I think what Lee has done so far for the club. Moving forward it’s going to be good for the whole club on the pitch, off the pitch, the mood of the place, it’s going to be a big lift, and obviously he’s great at his job. I’ve had a lot of conversations with him. He knows what our model is. He buys into the model. It aligns with him, so it’s good for everybody.

“He was an integral part when we came in. Obviously it had to be right for him, it had to be right for the club, but there was no doubt in my mind we would get it done. When I came in, I said it’s about reconnecting with the fans and the community. Lee’s connection with the fans is fantastic so it strengthens the whole club and it brings us all together.

“As Lee rightly said, when he’s sitting down with [new] players, they ultimately ask him ‘What’s your role?’, and now he can say ‘I’m here for the long term’.”